The German rail union EVG has called a new strike to put pressure on ongoing wage negotiations amid high inflation in Europe’s largest economy. The 48-hour strike is called from Sunday at 22:00 until Tuesday night, making it the third strike by rail employees since the end of March.
The previous strikes, which lasted 24 hours, paralyzed rail transport in Germany and massively affected the national operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). The EVG union defends the interests of some 230,000 employees of some 50 companies in the sector in the country, including Deutsche Bahn. Inflation remains high in Germany, at 7.2% in April, although below the October peak of 8.8%.
The union is demanding a 12% wage increase for those employees, or an increase of at least €650 gross ($710) per month. The head of collective bargaining at the EVG rail union, Cosima Ingenschay, declared that the employees’ patience is at its limit. The call for the strike feeds into the context of strong social mobilization in Germany, where strikes demanding higher wages have multiplied since the beginning of the year in hospitals, schools, and postal services.